


Signs of Life.

by franticatlantic



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 12:53:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8209277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franticatlantic/pseuds/franticatlantic
Summary: Josh is sick. Tyler makes him feel better the best way he knows how.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [onlyfools](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyfools/gifts).



> Title is from the Andrew Belle song of the same name.

Tyler steps forward in line. His phone dings.

“Josh?” Mark asks, toying with his own phone.

Fishing his out of his pocket, Tyler nods. He knows without even looking at the display. Just swipes and reads: _Tyler, hurry._

 _Are you okay?_ He replies.

“How is he?”

“He wants us to hurry.”

Mark makes a face. “Is he okay?”

Tyler shrugs, stomach in knots as they move up another space in line. He grips his phone and waits for Josh to reply.

The mall food court smells like fried chicken and baked dough - both scents Tyler would normally never turn his nose up at. And yet all he can think about is getting back to the bus and the jarring smell of antiseptic, the lingering stench of sickness that has surrounded Josh since he started shaking last night.

They were watching a movie, curled up in the back while Mark and the rest of the crew slept peacefully in the bunks.

Josh had started squirming where he was wedged up beside Tyler on the couch. He’d been so warm, which Tyler had milked for all it was worth, rubbing his face against Josh’s shoulder, tangling their legs together.

So when Josh had remarked, “Dude, I’m freezing,” Tyler had frowned and glanced sidelong at him.

“But you’re…” One glance was all he’d needed. “…burning up.”

Josh’s face had been redder than the couch they sat on, bottom lip clenched between his teeth as the chills set in.

And Tyler had turned the movie off at once, led Josh to the bunks and stuffed him inside with no less than four blankets and himself to keep Josh warm.

“I th-think it’s p-probably jus’…just a - an overnight thing,” Josh had chattered, arms wrapped tight around Tyler, keeping him close as he shook.

Tyler had nodded and thought Josh was right - at 4 in the morning, Josh had kicked the covers off, sweating profusely. His fever had broken and Tyler was glad for it - he himself was sweating like he’d just eaten a pound of pork.

But fifteen minutes later Josh was pulling at him again, shaking like a leaf and muttering “shit” over and over under his breath.

They have two days off. Tyler has to get Josh better before they stop in Colorado for the show on Sunday.

He’s currently back on the bus with Michael and Ben while Tyler and Mark run out to get food. They’re at a Chinese joint in a mall somewhere in Garden City, Kansas. Not a bad place, but also not where he’d rather be right now. He’d rather be on the bus with Josh because even though he loves Michael and the rest of the guys, he doesn’t want someone else cuddling his boyfriend while he’s not there.

They move up another place in line and his phone dings again.

_I’m okay, just can’ttt stop shaking._  
_can’t*_  
_See?_

“He’s okay,” Tyler tells Mark. “He’s just cold.”

“Pretty sure he has the flu. I used to get it all the time when I’d run around outside in winter without a coat on. Chills, fever, cold sweat, all that good stuff.”

As Mark is talking, they finally move to the front of the line.

Mark orders an orange chicken, a General Tso’s, and a pork fried rice for him, Michael, and Ben. Tyler gets himself a lo mein, Josh a wonton soup, and a side order of crab rangoon in case Josh feels well enough to eat something. Or on the off chance that his taste buds have reverted back from their current default setting of ‘everything tastes like I’m eating shit and dying.’

-

On the bus, Tyler finds Josh in the kitchenette area, seated at the table with his head facedown. He’s groaning, but as soon as he hears Tyler and Mark come in, his head is shooting up and he’s grinning, arm sweeping wide to open the blanket he’s got wrapped around him.

Tyler joins him, pulling the blanket closed once he’s settled.

Josh’s face goes immediately to the crux of Tyler’s shoulder, where his neck slopes down. “Missed you,” he murmurs, nasally, and gives one good shiver.

“Missed you too, baby.” Tyler kisses the curve of his ear and pulls the bag of food toward them. “Eat your soup so you can lay down again.”

Michael and Mark take their food to the back, where Tyler hears them playing Rocket League on the Xbox and muttering quietly to themselves.

Tyler rubs Josh’s back while he gets down half a rangoon and what he can of the soup before he starts to feel sick. Tyler himself only eats a quarter of his lo mein, then puts everything in the fridge for later and takes Josh back to the bunks.

Josh, who’s still shivering and coughing and wiping sweat from his forehead every couple of minutes.

“God, I’m _sorry_ ,” he rasps when they’ve settled down in Tyler’s bunk, Tyler the big spoon for once (he’s secretly very excited about this).

“What for?” He asks, rucking Josh’s shirt up and curling his warm fingers over Josh’s ribs.

Josh shakes his head and grimaces, eyes squeezed shut. “For getting sick. I probably cost us a show.”

Tyler presses closer, kisses the sweet curve of Josh’s shoulder, slides his hand down to Josh’s hip where he brushes his thumb over the heated skin. “Joshie, baby, no. I’m gonna make you better, okay?”

A sniff and Josh nods, though not convincingly. Which gives Tyler an idea.

With another lingering kiss to Josh’s shoulder, Tyler dips his fingers into the waist of Josh’s sleep pants, rubs his knuckles high up on Josh’s thigh.

Josh grunts. “Whazzat?”

“Just relax,” Tyler sighs, lips dragging from Josh’s shoulder to his neck. His fingers trail lower and then back up, finding Josh’s cock, which is still completely soft. Not for long, hopefully.

“Ty, I can’t-“

“You’re sick, Joshie. I need to make you feel better. Don’t you wanna feel better?” His fingers are dancing over the head of Josh’s cock now, which earns him a halfhearted twitch.

When Josh turns, his head hits Tyler’s nose. “Yeah, I’m _sick_. It’s gonna take me forever to get it up.”

Tyler retrieves his hand from Josh’s pants, spits in his palm, and worms his fingers back under the covers before Josh can protest. “We got nothin’ but time right now, bud.”

Josh whines and turns his face away from Tyler once more, giving Tyler better access to the side of his neck, which he starts sucking on. He rubs the flat of his palm up and over the underside of Josh’s cock, gets it wet. Then he makes a loose circle with his thumb and forefinger and starts jacking him slowly.

Josh starts shaking double time, grabbing at Tyler’s wrist and his own hair and anywhere he can reach.

Leveraging himself up, Tyler gets an arm under Josh’s shoulders and turns his torso so that he’s half laying against him and half still curled up sideways. “Joshie, relax. Just let me, okay?”

By the time Josh’s cock really starts to harden, though, he’s not heeding Tyler’s advice.

“‘M burning up,” he mutters, reaches to push both the covers off and his pants down to his thighs.

He groans and Tyler bites his shoulder. Josh’s cock is hard and curved, straining up toward his belly, and Tyler’s not going fast enough apparently. Josh is pushing himself through the tight ring of Tyler’s fingers, everything slick from Tyler’s spit, his hips working restlessly.

“That’s it, baby,” Tyler growls against Josh’s neck. “Make that cock cum for me, Josh. Gotta show me, baby. Show me how good I’m making you feel, yeah? I wanna see it, wanna see you make a mess all over your stomach. Such a good boy, Joshie.”

Josh keens high in the back of his throat and turns, lips searching for Tyler’s as he cums. Tyler kisses him hard, but his eyes are trained on Josh’s cock, on the thick ropes of cum shooting over his stomach. He has the presence of mind to grip the side of Josh’s shirt that he can reach with his other hand, pulling the material up and out of the way.

Tyler keeps stroking even after Josh has cum, just to see him shake and whine and bite his lips raw. He mutters affirmations against the shell of Josh’s ear, about what a good boy he is and how he’ll always be Tyler’s. No matter what.

Then, while Josh is catching his breath, he grabs a tissue from the box he placed next to the pillows last night and cleans Josh up, tugs his shirt back down and his pants back up.

Propped on his elbow, he pets Josh’s sweaty hair back from his forehead. “Feel any better?”

“Mhm,” is Josh’s only response, eyes half-lidded as he fists a hand in the front of Tyler’s shirt. “I’ll probably be able to play on Sunday. If you promise to do that again.”

Tyler leans down and kisses him, cradling his jaw in one hand.

They’ll definitely be doing that again.

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Steph, who asked for fluff. I gave her that and smut.
> 
> This takes place some time during the Blurryface tour.
> 
> I have [Tumblr](http://zefstar.tumblr.com/).


End file.
